Dorstenia barnimiana is a succulent species with a subglobose to pear-shaped tuber, up to 4 cm in diameter. Flowers appear after the start of the rainy season and are followed by the leaves. There is a large variety in length of leaf stems, leaf shape and size, colour of the flower and number of appendages on the flower.

Dorstenia barnimiana consists of two varieties, recognized by the differences in the attachment of the lamina